Canvas shoes with rubber soles



April 17, 1962 A. zERKowlTz cANvAs sHoEs WITH RUBBER soLEs Filed April 28. 1958 FIG. l

.new H141 INVENTOR A/berf Zer/row/'fz ATTORNEY 3,029,323 CANVAS SHGES Willi RUBBER SLES Albert Zericowitz, $2 Beaver St., New York, N.Y. Filed Apr. 28, 19555, Ser. No. 731,5ti6 2 Claims. (ifi. 12S-622) This invention relates to shoes of the type having a canvas or fabric upper and a vulcanized rubber sole and it has for its principal object to provide a comfortable well cushioned, arch-supporting low-cost tennis, or sport shoe which may be tightly laced without causing discomfort, and which has a number of other advantages.

It has been the practice heretofore in connection with shoes having an upper made of canvas or of other fabric cemented to a rubber sole to provide the shoe with an upper consisting of two or of three sections which are joined by lap seams. This shoe construction is however in many cases uncomfortable for the wearer, as the lap seams are thicker and hence more rigid than the remainder of the canvas or fabric upper and thus tend to produce a chating or friction upon the foot. Moreover, the construction tends to produce a ridge at the toe of the shoe upper.

Further, in connection with athletic shoes in which it has been proposed to provide a vamp which is in one piece with the tongue and in order to allow tight lacing of the yshoe it is necessary to attach separate lace stays with eyelets at the edges of the quarter, the instep being thus protected by the tightly laced stays but, as the tongue consists only of canvas, the foot is not or is only imperfectly protected against the uncomfortable pressure of the laces when tightly drawn.

It is the object of the invention to provide a sturdy, low-cost tennis or sport shoe having an upper consisting of a single piece of canvas or other fabric to which a lining is attached face to face by a water proof adhesive, which upper includes the eyelet stays, but does not include the tongue, the tongue being composed of two layers of different materials, one of them placed at the inside being a leather lining, while the other layer consists of a protective leather piece, or is of vulcanized rubber or the like which may be perforated and which is secured to the leather by stitching.

It is a further objective of the invention to provide a shoe of the above described construction with a highly elastic bottom, the elasticity of which is essentially produced by the insole which is made of cellular or spongy or of other highly elastic rubber material. To produce uniform elasticity of the insole which is unimpaired by the strain and pressure transmitted to it by its attachment to the upper and outsole in some areas and to prevent excessive eiongation of the pliable rubber under such stresses, the elastic insole is attached by means of a rubber adhesive on its entire surface to a backing sheet or auxiliary insole consisting of a rubber sheet which is attached to the upper and to the other members of the bottom, the insole being thus provided with one member providing elasticity at right angles to its main surface and one member transmitting elastic forces and providing elasn'c resistance in the direction substantially parallel to the said surface in a longitudinal and transverse direction.

A further object of the invention consists in providing a single special intermediate sole or fixation member interposed between the backing sheet or auxiliary insole and the outsole and which is firmly cemented to these two members and which extends towards the marginal portions of the auxiliary insole to a varying extent, a marginal strip of the auxiliary insole being left uncovered on the sides while around the toe and heel portion the intermediate sole is eta-extensive with the backing sheet or auxiliary insole.

A further object of the invention consists in providing an arch support consisting of a substantially semicircular 3,029,823 Patented Apr. 17, 1962 or semi-elliptical extension of the elastic insole which projects beyond the second auxiliary insole and which is the sole portion of the insole not attached to the backing sheet or auxiliary insole, which extension in the finished shoe is curved upwardly and lines the arch portion of the shoe thus providing a highly elastic support along this portion.

A number of further objects of the invention will appear and will be described in the following detailed description of the shoe, an embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

The drawing is intended to illustrate the invention by way of example and the embodiment shown has been selected in order to explain the principle of the invention and the best mode of applying the said principle. It will be clear that modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without in any way departing from the said principle.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a perspective view of the shoe;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view partly in section, the section being taken along the vertical median plane and of the rear portion of the shoe;

FIG. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional View taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional View of the front portion of the shoe, being taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 4 4 of FIGURE 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional perspective View of the tongue.

The shoe which has been illustrated comprises an upper 10 which is made of a single piece of canvas 12 and a similar piece of lining 13 applied face to face and joined by means of a waterproof adhesive. The combined upper is joined at the rear ends by means of a back seam 24. The front portion may be provided with a double or toe box 39 which reinforces and protects the toe portion where the wear is greatest. The customary counter reinforcement 2t) may be mounted interiorly around the heel portion. The counter reinforcement 20 is preferably-made of rubber covered with a canvas lining 22 at the inside and may be joined to the upper by stitching 18. The edges of the upper may receive an edge binding 14, and preferably they are trimmed and stiifened by a decorative canvas strip or tape 26 fastened with a stitching, the tape being of a color which is in harmony with the color of the upper. Gther decorative trimmings 16 may be xed to the upper by stitching which may be so placed that they somewhat reinforce the portion underneath.

At the instep the upper is provided with the customary lace opening along which the `eyelets 4i-4 and stays Sil are arranged. Behind the lace opening the tongue 42 is arranged which in this case is of a special design.

The tongue 42 consists of two layers 43, 45, the inner layer 43 being a thin leather lining, while the outer layer 45 consists of leather or of rubber or the like of greater thickness. The thin leather lining 43- has the function of preventing direct contact of the foot or sock of the wearer with the protective layer 45, while the outer layer has a multiple function. it protects the instep to a higher degree than a piece of canvas and it permits 'the tightening of the laces, without incommodating the wearer, to a greater extent than is possible when a canvas v tongue is used. The pressure of the laces when tightly fastened is taken up by the protective layer 4S and a firm hold is produced along a surface without the feel- -ing of local overpressure produced when the laces obstruct the blood circulation which latter occurrence usually limits the tightening of the laces.

rthe outer layer 4S is of a material much stiffer than canvas, but is still sufficiently flexible to accommodate t; its shape to that of the foot thus distributing the pressure the laces exert on the foot.

The outer layer 45 of the tongue may be given a suitable color harmonizing with that of the upper i@ or of the trimming 26 or 14 and an attractive shape, by suitably shaping its edges. It may be provided with perforations which may be distributed to form an ornamental pattern.

The leather piece 43 forming the tongue inner layer may be fixed to the outer layer 4S by stitching. The inner end 46 of the tongue may also be iixed to the upper by a stitcln'ng and also preferably the trimming strip t6 stitched to the upper, may run across the upper at the point overlying the tongue inner edge where the stitching is to be made so that no special stitching is necessary for fixing the tongue.

After lasting, the upper has its marginal portions turned inwardly to form flanges 31. The marginal portion of the outside of the upper along a strip near the edge of the last and a large portion of the inwardly turned tlanges 31 is covered by a binding or foxing strip 38 of rubber which is firmly attached to the upper by means of an adhesive. This strip 33 is preferably provided with a suitable design and the color of the rubber is suitably selected to match the color of the canvas. The foxing strip 38 does not extend to the inner free edge of the inwardly turned iianges of the lasted upper for a purpose mentioned later.

The bottom of the shoe comprises an insole 36 of highly compressible rubber which is lined on the upper side with a sock lining 28. The compressibility of the insole produces an effective elastic cushioning in, the direction perpendicular to the surface of the insole.

In order to maintain a uniform compressibiiity along the entire surface of the insole in contact with the sole of the foot and in order to avoid excessive elongation of the insole under stress, the insole is cemented along its entire lower surface which is to be attached to a backing sheet or auxiliary insole 34 by a suitable rubber cement. This backing sheet or auxiliary insole 34 consists of a thin sheet of elastic rubber which is cut exactly to the contour of the lasted upper.

The insole 36 is cut to the same shape, but has a lateral extension 48 serving as an arch support. This lateral extension is of semi-circular or semi-elliptical shape and projects beyond the contour of the insole as defined by the last. This extension is not covered by the backing sheet or auxiliary insole 34 and after cementing of the insole to the upper this extension is bent upwardly and is applied against the side wall of the upper which may be reinforced at this point by a trimming strip. The upturned extension 48 in this position provides a suiiicient elastic resistance and exercises a back pressure on the metatarsel bones of the wearer which assists the tendons and ligaments which support the weight if the shoe has been tightly laced. It will be noted that the semi-circular extension is the sole portion of the elastic insole which is not fixed by an adhesive to the auxiliary insole.

The bottom of the shoe further comprises an intermediate solc 32 which consists of a rubber sheet material similar to that of the backing sheet or auxiliary insole 34 but is thicker and which is attached on its entire upper surface to the auxiliary insole 34 by a suitable rubber adhesive. This intermediate sole 32 is of smaller Width than the backing sheet or auxiary insole along the two sides but is approximately co-extensive with the auxiliary insole in the heel and toe portion. The difference in width on each side is approximately equal to or slightly larger than the width of the inwardly turned flange 3l on the lasted upper. The lower surface of the intermediate sole 32 is attached by a suitable rubber cement to the outsole 3Q which is of suitable vulcanized rubber material of greater thickness than the insoles and intermediate sole and which is of the customary type. The outsole may be provided on its underside with ribs or projections forming an ornamental or functional design to increase the hold of the foot on the ground. For instance, transverse bundles of grooved ribs, suitably spaced, may be joined by short spaced longitudinal connecting ribs which are staggered to produce a suitable ornamental design.

The marginal portion of the outsole 3i? is attached to the binding strip or foxing 38 by means of a suitable cement.

The inwardly turned flange 3l of the upper is thus firmly held between the outsole 30 and the backing sheet or auxiliary insole 34 which are both cemented together by means of the intermediate sole 32. The longitudinal and transverse stress exercised during walking by the upper and the outsole are thus only transmitted to the auxiliary insole 34 and cannot produce excessive elongations and impair the compressibility of the insole 36.

In the heel portion the intermediate sole 32, as above stated reaches to the end of the auxiliary insole 34. At the heel the outsole has usually an upwardly projecting portion. On the inside there is a little depression or cavity. The inwardly turned flange of the upper passes under the intermediate sole 32 at the heel portion and there is thus a small hollow space between the end of the foxing or binding strip 38 which is attached to the outsole and the point of attachment of the outsole and the intermediate sole. Within this space the edge portion of the tiange 31 which is not covered by the foxing 38 is located. The uncovered marginal portion of the inwardly turned flange 31 of the upper is somewhat longer at the heel portion because the canvas cannot exactly follow the narrower curvature around the heel and while this can be smoothed out near the edge where the foxing strip of rubber is applied it is necessary to leave some space for the flange which becomes wrinkled at the bend. This wrinkled portion is thus located below the intermediate sole in the small hollow space bctween the latter and the outsole.

A similar arrangement is provided near the toe portion.

Finally around the toe portion of the shoe a protective strip 40 may be cemented to the outsole and the ifoxing strip partly to protect this portion of the shoe from excessive Wear and partly for decorative purposes. It is well known that in games of all types the toe portion of the shoe is subjected to the most severe strain and therefore would give out long before the remainder of the shoe is Worn, if a protective strip were not provided to reinforce the toe portion.

The main advantages of the shoe above described are thus the single piece upper which is here embodied into a construction of great simplicity which permits manufacturing at low cost, but which permits the use of a highly elastic insole assembly, so constructed that different elastic forces may be taken up or brought into play without disturbing each other thus permitting the full utilization of the elastic properties of the assembly. A further main advantage consists in the provision of a tongue which permits tight lacing and therefore a firm hold of the shoe on the foot without discomfort by using a two layer tongue one part of which is of thin leather while another part is of heavier rubber or leather and acts as a protective member for the instep, at the same time distributing the pressure due to the lacing.

A number of further advantages will be obvious from the foregoing description.

It is clear that changes may be made in the construction without in any way departing from the essence of the invention as defined in the annexed claims.

Having described the invention what is claimed is:

l. A canvas shoe with a rubber outsole and a onepiece upper having marginal overlasted portions which form inwardly projecting flanges by means of which the upper is fastened to the outsole, a strip like `bottom portion of the upper and an adjacent strip like portion of said ilanges being cemented to a foxing strip a portion of which is cemented to the outsole, said shoe further comprising an insole of sponge rubber cemented on its underside to a backing sheet comprising an auxiliary insole Iand having a contour substantially that of the lasted upper, an intermediate sole with a contour paralleling that of the auxiliary insole along the sides at a distance substantially equal to the width of the inwardly projecting flange of the upper, but substantially co-extensive with the auxiliary insole and said intermediate sole at the heel and toe portion having a curvature of relatively small radius, said intermediate sole being cemented -to the rubber outsole along its entire surface with the exception of the end portions near lthe heel and toe portions, the rubber out-sole being provided on the inside with a small cavity near the heel and toe portion, the auxiliary insole being thus held by the intermediate sole in its central portion and by the inwardly projecting anges in its marginal portions on the two sides while along the heel and toe portions the marginal portion of the auxiliary insole is cemented to the intermediate sole and the latter is cemented to the inwardly projecting flanges along that portion which can be flattened, while covering the portion of the ange which on account of the curvature becomes wrinkled and folded and pressing it into the cavity of the outsole.

2. A canvas shoe with a rubber outsole as claimed in claim l wherein the sponge rubber insoleand its rubber backing sheet providing an auxiliary insole in the region of the shank have diiierent contours, the sponge rubber insole having an extension projecting laterally and outwardly in the region of the shank from the contour approximately co-incident with the contour of the bottom of the lasted upper, the extension being turned upwardly Iby the upper and providing an elastic arch support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 518,078 Scarinci Apr. 10, 1894 1,579,650 Cutler Apr. 6, 1926 1,606,797 Julian Nov. 16, 1926 1,720,120 Diveley et al Sept. 9, 1929 1,727,244 McNii Sept. 3, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS 392,737 Great Britain May 25, 1933 

